The Cosecha Fellowship is about creating a new generation of social movement leaders through hands on experience and extensive training.
This is not your typical fellowship. Fellows will be at the front of building a powerful movement for permanent protection, dignity, and respect for all immigrants in the U.S. Through their work, fellows will grow their leadership skills by diving into a growing movement.
Small group mentoring and support will supplement the hands-on experience that is an integral part of Cosecha’s movement building model. The fellowship is made up of three central components: training, work, and community.
The Training | The Work | The Community
THE TRAINING
Before getting started on Cosecha work, fellows will participate in a 10 day training, designed to give the fellows the foundation they will need to become strong leaders and masters of movement building basics.
The training will focus on 3 main components: history and perspective, living and working in community, and movement building.
+ History and Perspective
This section of the training will help fellows draw the connections between where we have been and where we are going. Through this training we will build a collective understanding of the historical moment we are in and how Cosecha grows out of that moment. We will dive into historical models of civil resistance and how they inform our strategic assumptions.
+ Working and Living in Community
This piece of training is designed to deepen our understanding of what it means to live in interdependent community. All Cosecha fellows will be joining part of the ‘Volunteer Organizer Network’ living in voluntary simplicity and working in community with each other. In addition to diving into the theory behind why we practice voluntary simplicity and interdependence, this section of the training focuses on some of the concrete skills and practices we use to keep our community healthy.
+ Movement Building
This section of the training is all about the different skills and theory that fellows will need in their Cosecha work. This is designed for fellows to have a deep understanding of the momentum model and how Cosecha plans to engage millions of people in the movement while building teams across the country. The trainings will have sections on targeting the public and active popular support, the action cycle, and how to train and develop leadership.
THE WORK
After the training program, fellows will take on specific roles as part of the Cosecha VON, as part of the National Infrastructure Team or Field Team.
National Infrastructure Team
The National Infrastructure supports Cosecha circles across the country, runs our national training program, supports the Volunteer Organizer Network and does the vital work to keep Cosecha financially sound. Fellows on this track will join particular teams within the infrastructure team and work on projects ranging from creating and sustaining our mass training program, to creating digital content, learning the operational ins and outs of running a movement and supporting Cosecha circles through campaigns. Fellows in the National Infrastructure team will live in one of our Cosecha houses.
Field Team
Fellows on the field team will work in small teams in communities across the country to grow Cosecha locally, develop new Cosecha leaders and run local campaigns. Fellows on the field team will most likely stay in a community for between 4-12 weeks along with the other members of the field team and will live with local Cosecha supporters.
THE COMMUNITY
Cosecha Fellows will live in community with other Cosecha Volunteer organizers, as part of the Volunteer Organizer Network. Movimiento Cosecha organizers live in voluntary simplicity, following in the footsteps of the movement of the United Farm Workers in California. Organizers with the UFW would not receive a salary, instead would have their housing and food paid for as well as a small stipend. We call this voluntary simplicity because we try to meet our basic needs through community and not the market.
As part of the Volunteer Organizing Network, fellows will give the gift of their work to the movement and in turn rely on the movement and the community to meet their basic needs such as food and housing.
Cosecha Volunteer Organizers live in interdependence, meaning that we meet many of our needs collectively by sharing food and living together. Fellows will live in a Cosecha community, either in Cosecha House or with other Volunteer Organizers as part of a field team. Currently there are Cosecha houses in San Antonio, TX and Boston, MA and 3 field teams spread out across the country.*
Everyone who is part of the Volunteer Organizing Network, including fellows, are given an additional $50 per week to cover any additional expenses. It is an expectation that during the time of the fellowship fellows join the current volunteer organizers in living in voluntary simplicity.
*If you think you are a strong candidate for the fellowship, but cannot commit to living in a Cosecha community please email our fellowship coordinator Maria Fernanda at mfcabello91@gmail.com.